"FIRM...but fair" with Jeffery A. Faulkerson  

Note: Originally posted January 5, 2009 to the blog “A POSITIVE LIGHT: Discovering the Good within the Black Diaspora” by Jeffery A. Faulkerson, MSSW

Have you ever wondered why we do the things we do?

I have.

Not because I want to make any major changes to the way I interact with the world. I just want to know if I’m in control of my fears and my desires. If I’m not in control of these fears, these desires, then some outside force must be planting thoughts in my head so that I will act a certain way.

Recently, while sorting through videos about Public Relations on YouTube, I came across one titled “Propaganda in America: The History of Public Relations”. The video provided an overview of the life and times of Edward Bernays, who is considered by many to be the father of Public Relations. Wikipedia.com reports that Bernays is one of the first persons to manipulate public opinion using the subconscious. He combined the ideas of crowd psychology with the psychoanalytical ideas of Sigmund Freud, his uncle. And he wasn’t ashamed of his game, feeling that the manipulation of public opinion was necessary in society, which he regarded as irrational and dangerous as a result of the “herd instinct.”

This video was fascinating to me on many levels, but it got me to thinking: Are we, the American consumer, capable of winning the politics of fear and desire? I would have to say no, resulting from the fact most of us find ourselves vacillating between the two extremes. On one hand, we fear poverty or personal injury, but on the other, we desire prosperity and physical, emotional and spiritual wellness. But we’re unable to lead stable lives because these outside forces are always encouraging us to acquire more than our fair share of material possessions rather than share them with our neighbors. We have even forsaken our obligation to be our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper, thinking “If I can pull myself up by my bootstraps, so can you.” But people are dying in America and around the world because they wake up not knowing if they’ll have food to eat, clothes to protect them from the chill of winter storms.

But then I think about how propaganda and other public relations techniques were used to keep black Americans in their place during the pre- and post-Civil War periods, as well as the early stages of the 20th century. Because our ancestors’ skin color was much darker than everyone else’s, they were considered sub-human, inferior to all of the other racial/ethnic groups. I can only speculate about the planning that must have been going on behind the scenes by politically savvy members of the controlling majority. To maintain their power and control, they undoubtedly felt compelled to devise strategies to protect the unmerited privilege of their constituents. It never dawned on them that what they were doing would one day be classified as crimes against humanity.

Even today, I find it hard to believe that criminal charges have never been levied against members of the controlling majority. I even find it hard to believe that contemporary members of the controlling majority aren’t demanding that a penalty be paid to black Americans for these crimes. But then I recall that the primary aim of Public Relations is to “manipulate public opinion using the subconscious.” Therefore, it becomes clear that the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of controlling majority members will never change because they truly believe they are better than everyone else.

I do give controlling majority members credit for aligning themselves with other persons of color to elect Barack Obama as the first, black president. Their members will now get a chance to take a more intimate look into the lives of an authentically black family. But this is nothing more than a first step in the right direction. Everyday black Americans would also like to see more controlling majority members take a critical look at America’s racist past so their remorse can coincide with our pain.

And taking this critical look would be possible if it wasn’t for a few unenlightened individuals in the public relations, advertising and marketing fields, who create images that work to define who we are as individuals and as a collective. Their power over the rest of humanity is nowhere close to relenting, as they employ subliminal messaging techniques on controlling majority members, promoting a belief that their prosperity results solely from their hard work in the classroom and the boardroom. Truth be told, much of what the controlling majority has acquired came at the expense of other groups. Just ask the Native Americans and Asian Americans, as well as us African Americans. But even this truth doesn’t change the fact that this same controlling majority has now become the standard for prosperity in America and around the world.

But what can we, the American consumer, do to make this standard more inclusive. Well, for starters, we can craft and initiate a campaign that ensures public relations, advertising and marketing decisions include the worldviews of other racial/ethnic groups, not just that of the controlling majority. Prosperity is a universal concept, so one group should not be serving as the standard-bearer. Additionally, it should not be based on what we do for self; it should first be based on what we do for other members of the human family.

American Blacks, and those Blacks in other parts of the world, also need to gain a better understanding of what is being done to us and what we are doing to ourselves. Again, the lack of diversity in public relations, advertising and marketing causes the practitioners in these fields – who are mostly White, mind you – to craft messages that they think will best sell products and services. Consequently, the types of messages they craft are usually based on false myths and stereotypes. And nine times out of ten, white pride and self-righteousness prevents them from taking the time to taste the flavor that is the Black Diaspora.

But when it comes to what we’re doing to ourselves, we have to reconsider the origins of Black Entertainment Television, or BET. Former owner Bob Johnson (far removed from his dealings with BET) continues to be chastised for creating a television network that glorifies the lives of thugs, prostitutes and crooks rather than those being led by the educated, black professionals who are strategic and intentional in their quest to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream real.

Some say Johnson missed a golden opportunity to cast the Black Diaspora in a more positive light, to sow positive seeds into young Blacks’ lives. I tend to agree with these criticisms. The growing mediocrity within the Black Diaspora seems to be directly related to the things that are being said and shown about black people on BET, MTV and VH-1, as well as programming on the “Big Three” networks – NBC, ABC and CBS.

The Black Diaspora’s saving grace has been magazines like Ebony, Jet and Black Enterprise, as well at Kathy Hughes’ radio and television networks (i.e., Radio-One and TV-One). But I and countless others can see how even they are becoming products of popular culture. The covers of Ebony and Jet are always graced with some A-list celebrity, while TV-One takes older Blacks down memory lane by re-running favorites like Good Times, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son. Black Enterprise has developed the best prescription for highlighting the lives of educated, black professionals through print and electronic mediums, but it still tends to place the achievement of celebrities above those being made by average Joes and Janes.

I long for the day when black consumers shake themselves free of this manipulation. When we allow ourselves to be infatuated with A-list celebrities alone, we diminish our ability to raise our standards for prospering. We start believing the critics, who question our children and youths’ ability to succeed in school. We start believing criminal behavior goes hand-in-hand with being black. Our men even stop believing they are men, as they abandon the women who bear their children.

This isn’t the 16th century, people, it’s the 21st. We need to do more to take control of the messages that are being communicated about us.

What do you think? I look forward to reading your responses.

Jeffery A. Faulkerson, MSSW

Join host Jeffery A. Faulkerson, MSSW, on Sunday, January 4, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. (EST) as he explores propaganda and its impact on the American populace. Listeners will be introduced to Edward Bernays, nephew to psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and inventor of modern-day public relations. Faulkerson will also ask listeners if the right kind of propaganda is being employed by black leaders to encourage black Americans to raise their standards for living and prospering, or are we allowing the image makers to manipulate our fears and desires. CALL IN SO YOUR VOICES CAN BE HEARD!